Killer Instinct: Season 2 (XB1) Review

Even more bang for the buck.

It’s been months in the making, but Killer Instinct Season 2 has finally finished (for the most part.) I was excited to see what Iron Galaxy could do with the already flashy and rather fun fighting game, and what I got to try out didn’t disappoint. From new characters to UI changes, KI Season 2 has a lot going for it. Let’s break it down a bit just to let anyone out there that hasn’t dove into this fast fighting game.

Killer Instinct is a reimagining of the old 1994 arcade game created by Rare. It is essentially a free to play game for the Xbox One where players can download the base game and play as one free character that rotates out. Luckily, if players want to get the entire thing, they can and the base game is constantly expanding through new seasons that add more modes, more characters, and even more game play options. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about what players can expect in Season 2.

A gradual change.

It needs to be stated, these additions and changes occurred over the span of almost six months. Some of these things have been in place for a long time while others are still even being worked on. One thing players from Season One will notice is the complete UI overhaul. Originally, many people hated it, but after a few months with it, it became second nature to them. Of course, the biggest reason to pick up Season Two is all about the new characters.

Season Two adds nine additional characters to the roster. Much like the characters in Season One, there are some new and some old from the previous games, and one really great thing is that all characters play completely different from one other. Each has their own unique feel and play style that players will have to experiment with to see which one fits with them.

Take to the shadows.

One of the coolest additions is the new Shadow Lab mode. Here, players can create a shadow using a certain character that they can upload to the KI servers. This allows other players to take on my shadow even when I’m not online. After playing three matches, the game would evaluate my play style and create a character that acted almost identical to how I played. It was actually rather impressive. I could then take on other people’s shadows and test how well I matched up to some of the best players out there. FYI, I suck.

On top of all that, they finally added a new story mode for the Season Two characters and even expanded it via challenges that I could go for while doing a certain character’s story. It’s nothing fancy, but adds a bit of back story to the game and gives me something else to do and work toward.

Just plain fun.

I’m not a hardcore player like many people are for this game. Street Fighter has always been my main fighting game, but I have to admit, Killer Instinct has been a breath of fresh air for me in the fighting game genre. It is a blast to play and even people that aren’t very good at fighting games can have a fun time pulling off some rather flashy stuff just by doing some quarter circle motion and a button or two.

Season Two adds a good amount to the base game and even when some of the characters weren’t really to my liking, there is something here for pretty much everyone that enjoys fighting games. One of the great things about KI is that every character has a different feel to them allowing multiple play styles to find something they can get behind. I have to give it to Iron Galaxy; they have been on top of things with the new content and very consistent with how they drop.

Players can pick up the entire season for $19.99 with the “combo breaker” add-on, buy the individual characters for $4.99 a piece, or get the ultimate edition that comes with everything including extra accessories and outfits along with the classic Killer Instinct 2. There’s a ton of way to get what you want, and you’re not stuck with having to get something you don’t want. Killer Instinct is a really fun fighting game that both fans and newcomers can get into. Season 2 adds a lot in characters and new updates to the game make it a must own for Xbox fighting game fans. I highly suggest picking up this season’s offerings.